BERLIN, Feb 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - RB Leipzig host in-form Borussia Dortmund on Saturday in the Bundesliga with hopes of Champions League football next season fading away. After a strong start to the season, winning eight and losing just once in a 10-match run, Leipzig have struggled. With only one league defeat this season, Dortmund have gone up a gear in 2026. Leipzig have won their past five home matches against Dortmund by a cumulative score of 13-2. Fixtures (1430 GMT unless stated)FridayMainz v Hamburg (1930)SaturdayWolfsburg v Augsburg, Union Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt, Cologne v Hoffenheim, RB Leipzig v Borussia Dortmund (1730)SundayFreiburg v Borussia Moenchengladbach, St Pauli v Werder Bremen (1630), Heidenheim v Stuttgart (1830)

Japan inflation eases in welcome news for PM TakaichiTOKYO, Feb 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Japanese inflation slowed in January, government data showed Friday, in welcome news for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi after her recent election landslide win. Also stripping out energy prices, inflation mellowed to 2.6 percent from 2.9 percent, while headline unadjusted inflation was 1.5 percent, down from 2.1 percent. In the address, Takaichi will likely repeat her campaign pledge to suspend consumption tax on food for two years to help households cope with inflation. "The international situation surrounding Japan and its security environment are growing increasingly severe," Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Thursday. In addition it would cover the capacity of nations in the region to safeguard maritime security, Motegi said.

CARACAS, Feb 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Venezuela's National Assembly on Thursday unanimously approved a long-awaited amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners jailed for being government detractors. Some fear, however, the law could be used by the government to pardon its own and selectively deny freedom to real prisoners of conscience. "The scope of the law must be restricted to victims of human rights violations and expressly exclude those accused of serious human rights violations and crimes against humanity, including state, paramilitary and non-state actors," UN human rights experts said in a statement from Geneva Thursday. The NGO Foro Penal says about 450 prisoners have been released since Maduro's ouster, but more than 600 others remain behind bars. Rodriguez's interim government has been governing with US President Donald Trump's consent, provided she grants access to Venezuela's vast oil resources.

Trump says he's ordering release of data on UFOs and aliensWASHINGTON, United States, Feb 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is ordering federal agencies to begin "identifying and releasing" government files related to UFOs and aliens, a move sought for decades by some Americans. Unless, there's this enormous conspiracy and they hid it from the president of the United States." Asked on Thursday about the comments, Trump told reporters that Obama "gave classified information, he is not supposed to be doing that." The president did not specify what part of Obama's remarks were classified, but claimed "he made a big mistake." For his own beliefs about aliens, Trump, 79, said "I don't know if they are real or not."

From AI to Starlink: how drone tech is reshaping war in UkraineKYIV, Ukraine, Feb 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - As the war in Ukraine drags into its fifth year, drones have come to completely dominate the front line -- a transformation in modern warfare that is being watched around the world. "Modern warfare is now impossible without drones," Koleso, a Ukrainian infantry soldier, told AFP in eastern Ukraine. Unwilling to send more men that necessary into the kill zone, Ukrainian troops use ground drones to ferry supplies to dangerous areas and to evacuate wounded soldiers. - Starlink -In another alternative to radio control, Ukrainians have begun attaching Starlink terminals to drones. "We opened the chapter of the war of drones with drones," said Marko Kushnir of General Cherry, a leading interceptor drone maker.

Leader Kim Jong Un took centre stage with a speech to start the Workers' Party congress, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from house building to war planning. Kim has already declared this year's congress will lay out plans to bolster North Korea's nuclear arsenal. It has been more than eight years since North Korea's last nuclear test triggered a man-made earthquake underneath the northern Hamyong mountains. - Ruling dynasty -It is just the ninth time the Workers' Party congress has convened under North Korea's decades-spanning Kim rule. Photos released by state media showed Kim delivering his opening address as senior party officials appeared to take notes in the background.

Known for his shock-value livestreams portraying the character of Terrie Joe, Kelon Campbell quickly surged to fame in 2022. The character of Terrie Joe, ingeniously portrayed by a Black man, hyperbolizes the homophobic and racist hostility often associated with a Southern Christian white woman. Imagine my surprise when my For You Page abruptly revealed the trailer for his new film, Terrie Joe: Missionary in Miami. When I’m watching a livestream, I feel like I’m actually in the room — or at least in the pews — waiting to see who’ll be the next ‘sinner’ that Terrie Joe decides to pounce on. There is a reason we all spent our semester lulls glued to his lives instead of watching a sitcom; the thrill of the ‘Terrie Joe’ experience is the high-wire act of seeing how far he can go without a safety net.

Tight security planned for observance of Martyrs’ Day on Feb 21The Shaheed Minar premises. Photo: BSSDHAKA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS) – Comprehensive security measures have been planned across the capital to ensure the peaceful and orderly observance of Martyrs’ Day and International Mother Language Day on February 21. Enhanced security will also be maintained at the Shaheed Minar premises and Azimpur Graveyard to prevent any untoward incidents and manage public gatherings. The procession, led by DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmed Khan, will proceed via Udayan School and conclude at the Central Shaheed Minar. The DMP reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that citizens can observe the day with due solemnity, security and discipline.

The prime minister arrived at his temporary office at the Cabinet Division in Building No 1 of the Secretariat shortly after 9am. Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar received him upon arrival. The prime minister emphasized the need for an efficient and transparent system, underscoring the program’s importance in easing the cost-of-living pressures faced by ordinary citizens. Officials briefed the prime minister on climate risks, water management challenges and encroachment of waterways. Courtesy call by service chiefsEarlier in the day, the chiefs of the three armed services paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at his Secretariat office.

Reading time: about 5 minutesSomehow, I still remember exactly the first time I heard Silversun Pickups. While this can hardly be considered a flaw, the smoothness of this album edges on flatness that even the repetitive, driving riffs of “Wakey Wakey” fail to redeem. It’s almost ironic how “Running Out of Sounds” is titled, as the track serves as the greatest testament to the album’s points of mediocrity. It seems that, by the eighth track, Silversun Pickups really do begin to run out of sounds. For a second-time listener of Silversun Pickups, I found myself surprised by how much I enjoyed this album.

With less square footage than its previous location, K-HOUSE can no longer host private karaoke suites, according to Kim. Room K plans to host a new “designated queer space” called Q Space on certain days, Kim said. By including performance art, community events and food concepts, Kim said the business is stepping out of its traditional karaoke-only service. At the previous K-HOUSE location, Kim said they hosted several pop-up kitchens with similar facilities. Garnett told The Sun she looks forward to planning more social events for the Callbaxx at the new K-HOUSE location.

“Call me back” she wrote in one text, followed by a dramatic line of exclamation points. As a triplet, my sisters and I are all in our sophomore year of college, each enrolled at different universities. For readers with siblings who went to college before them, or those with younger siblings still living at home, I suppose this reality might not be so uncommon. Sibling relationships are profound in this respect — they are uniquely conditioned to shape-shift to our current needs and circumstances, and rarely do they ever break. This is not to say that when you go off to college, your siblings somehow become less important figures in your life.

My Super Bowl memories from childhood feature the iconic performances of Bruno Mars, Beyonce and Left Shark (I mean, Katy Perry). It was the nationally-renowned University of Arizona Symphonic Marching Band, and the crowd could not have anticipated the spectacle these boys were about to put on for them. Naturally, there must have been a turning point — a performance that turned marching band jazz medleys into the hullabaloo of halftime today. That was the beginning of the end: Every Super Bowl since has spotlighted a star bigger than the last, and the viewership has never faltered. These recent antics prove that the Super Bowl football game has long been dominated by the chaos and drama, the glitz and glam, the 15-minute madness that its halftime show has become.

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DHAKA, Feb 19, 2026 (BSS)- Cultural Affairs Ministry has taken elaborate programmes marking the Shahid Dibash and International Mother Language Day. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar, all the private television and radio channels will broadcast programmes while and all print media will publish special supplement. The ministry asked all follow the rules regarding hoisting the national flag according to the measurement, said a ministry release. To mark the day, different city road islands and other important places will be decorated with the festoons and banners inscribed with the alphabets of all the communities including Bangla. Shahid Dibash and International Mother Language Day will also be observed in Bangladesh Missions abroad.